MANILA, May 29 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

MANILA, May 29 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE DETAILS, QUOTING MILITARY REPORT)

Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebels expanded fire on two U.S. helicopters taking part in joint counterterrorism training exercises in the southern Philippines, a confidential military report said Wednesday.

The report, a pattern of which was obtained from Kyodo News, said two Pave Hawk chopper were fired on around 9:45 p.m. Monday by way of at least 10 armed men while flying through forested Candu Tandiis village, about 100 meters from a military detachment in the island province of Basilan.

''One of the helicopters reportedly fired back, which readyed the perpetrators to flee'' the report said, adding that no common was killed or hurt

The report was signed from Capt. Gregoire Gagarra of the Philippine air force and Federico Capinpin of the Philippine army, based in in the southern port city of Zamboanga.

Col Fredesvindo Covarrubias, a spokesman for the Philippine armed forces, and Col Alexander Aleo, in charge of the ongoing Philippine operation to seek down the Abu Sayyaf rebels, earlier confirmed the attack and blamed it forward the Abu Sayyaf.

Capt. Noel Detoyato, envoy spokesman for the Philippines armed forces' southern command, also confirmed the attack when contacted by means of Kyodo News.

yet U.S. military spokesman Maj. Richard Sater said no attack had taken place. Lt Col Jose Mabanta, a spokesman for the Philippine military, also denied the report, saying it was ''part of the training exercises.''

''The information is incorrect. There was no exchange of gunfire,'' Sater said athwart the phone, adding the chopper were taking part in ''coordinated live-ammunition training.''

Covarrubias also recanted his earlier statement. ''There is a mix-up in the military reports. We are correcting the earlier reports about the attack,'' he told a of recent origins conference in Zamboanga. ''It move rounded out to be an exercise.''

''It make go rounds out that the initial report was incorrect...that there was a demonstration, and one saw the demonstration and made up a coupling of quick stories which have since been quashed from the public affairs office in Zamboanga,'' said Frank Jenista, spokesman for the U Embassy in Manila.

Jenista declined to elaborate forward the issue.

At least 1000 U partys are currently in the southern Philippines to participate in the antiterrorism training exercises, which kicked facing in January. Of the 1000 U soldiers, at least 500 are in succession Basilan, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf rebels.

The Abu Sayyaf assemblage is believed to have links with the al-Qaida terrorist network l at Saudi Arabian-born militant Osama bin Laden, who is accused of masterminding the family 11 terror attacks on the United States.

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